Centurion

Dir: Neil Marshall

2010

***

Neil Marshall's Centurion isn't perfect, nor is it historically accurate but for once this doesn't bother me. Marshall explores the myth and legend surrounding the story of the Ninth Legion, a Roman Battalion who marched into Northern Britain and were never heard of again, rather then try to piece the truth together. The truth remains a mystery, so his version could very well be the truth, although there are a few features that are undeniably fictitious. The film touches on ideas explored in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth and makes a few knowing nods in tribute but it's main influence seems to come from a fair mix of battle epics and horror films. I wonder if Warren Ellis' brilliant graphic novel Crecy might also have been an influence. The film I was most reminded of however was Marshall's previous action thriller Doomsday. The action sequences are as bloody as they are brilliant. This is battle, it's not glorious and Marshall never once tries to romanticize the situation. The ensemble cast is impressive but many of the talented actors aren't given enough to get their teeth into and have fleeting screen-time to the point where you wonder why they were written in the first place. Michael Fassbender and Dominic West both make up for this with their memorable performances somewhat but I think I would have liked a longer film, with slightly more character development. That is the real problem; Centurion is an epic filmed as a small independent. Marshall does brilliantly with what he had but the overall production is a few tweaks short of what it should have been. Marshall has conquered horror, making the best Werewolf film made in decades, and has also produced some beautiful depictions of battle. Say what you will about the director but even when his films don't quite hit the mark, they are always entertaining throughout, making him a film maker you can depend on for a fun experience.